The Difference Between Marketing and Writing Firms

In 1996, Bill Gates of Microsoft coined the phrase “content is king.” Today, content is not only king; it is the entire royal family. Content is created and used by both marketing and writing firms, but as the amount of online content continues to increase, the line between the two jobs becomes increasingly blurred. 

But what about the differences between a company that advertises itself as a marketing firm and one that considers itself a writing firm? Both businesses are qualified to produce marketing materials, but they vary in how they serve their customers.

The Role of the Marketing Firm

A marketing firm assists its customers by creating marketing strategies and broad tactical plans. Companies hire these firms as outside contractors to accelerate growth and attain business goals, and the firm does this by using a variety of marketing mediums. These firms typically conduct market research to identify a company’s ideal customer profile, then determine the best course of action to reach those customers.  

Marketing firms generally will propose a marketing strategy, then develop one or more marketing campaigns to support that strategy. At the end of each campaign, the marketing firm will analyze its success and decide to pivot or keep going. Generally, the marketing firm’s goal is to yield concrete results (e.g., sales, subscriptions, or other key performance indicators). A marketing firm’s services can include, among other options:

• Digital brand development
• Video and audio commercials
• Print and online advertising
• Direct mail programs
• Telemarketing 
• Media buys
• Public relations campaigns
• Marketing collateral (brochures, etc.)
• Event and trade show support

The Role of a Writing Firm   

A writing firm specializes in the development of written content for its customers. Since writers tend to be more familiar with various language mechanics, usage, and writing techniques than general marketers, a business may opt to choose to work with a writing firm if the written word is key to success and credibility. In today’s digital world, the written word is found everywhere, and a writing firm strategically uses keywords throughout online content to attract the right audience via search engine optimization (SEO). The digital world is not the only place a writing firm excels, however. Businesses and professionals can utilize a well-qualified writing firm to create books, course content, ad copy, magazine articles, and more. 

Writing firms may offer a variety of services, including:

• Website content creation
• Blogging 
• Social media management
• Email marketing
• Press releases
• Training manuals
• Course content
• Ghostwriting books and ebooks
• Copyediting 
• Speech writing

When seeking a firm to develop written content for a business, it is essential to choose a writing firm that is familiar with the industry and can understand the lingo.   

Differences Between Marketing and Writing Firms

A marketing firm’s expertise lies in promoting and selling services or products. Usually, one marketing campaign will encompass multiple types of content and use a variety of mediums, so a marketing firm needs to wear many hats to serve its clients best. That can mean employing a larger staff, which may result in a higher fee for its customers.  

Writing firms excel in developing and perfecting individual pieces of content that will connect to a particular audience, marketing strategy, or writing goal. The firm works to achieve specific actions for each individual piece of content (clicks, likes, shares, downloads, views, etc.), to ensure the content reaches and connects with the right customer. 

Content marketing plays a pivotal role in improving the search engine ranking of its customers’ websites. Because search engines look at keyword usage, backlinking, and headers to give their users the best results, the experienced content writing firm will create each article, social media post, or blog with those factors in mind.

Similarities Between Marketing and Writing Firms

Overall, even if marketers and writers have different objectives, they still must work together to ensure high-quality content is written, read, and shared. 

Both writers and marketers publish and share written content via online channels such as:

• websites
• blog posts
• social media
• e-books
• email
• advertising

Most marketing firms today understand that developing and sharing written content is a key marketing strategy that can yield great results. But if the written word is of utmost importance to you and your business, consider hiring a writing firm to handle that for you. If your business is in the healthcare or mental health space, consider utilizing Watch Media Group to create high-quality written content to reach the right audience.